Disclosed in JP2005-162063A is an example of a known roof apparatus. Generally, the roof apparatus including the sun roof apparatus disclosed in JP2005-162063A includes a guide rail, which is fixed on a roof panel of a vehicle and extends in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a drive shoe, which is provided on the guide rail while allowing the drive shoe to be movable on the guide rail in the front-rear direction. In a case where the drive shoe is moved in the front-rear direction via a belt, which is driven by a motor, a movable panel is operated to open and close an opening of the roof panel via a link mechanism.
According to the sun roof apparatus disclosed in JP2005-162063A, a guide block is provided at a front portion of a guide rail. A movable panel is supported by a functional bracket, which extends in a front-rear direction of a vehicle. A guide pin is provided at a front end portion of the functional bracket so as to protrude therefrom in a vehicle width direction. The guide pin is inserted into a guide groove, which is formed on the guide block. The guide groove is formed so that a front end portion thereof extends in the front-rear direction, an intermediate portion thereof inclines in a diagonally upward direction towards a rear of the vehicle and a rear end portion thereof extends in the front-rear direction. In a case where the sun roof apparatus is in a fully-closed state and in a case where the sun roof apparatus is in a tilt-up mode, the guide pin is located at the front end portion of the guide groove. Accordingly, the functional block is rotatably supported at the front end portion of the guide groove while not being allowed to be displaced in an up-and-down direction.
Furthermore, the sun roof apparatus disclosed in JP2005-162063A is provided with a front check block, which is configured so as to rearwardly displace (i.e. slide) the functional bracket together with a front shoe as a unit in a case where a displacement of the front shoe (i.e. a drive shoe) in a rearward direction becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount (i.e. a predetermined displacement). The front check block includes a guide pin, which is configured so that a rotational axis thereof corresponds to a rotational axis of the guide pin of the functional bracket, at a front end portion of the front check block, so that the front check block is allowed to be rotatable about the guide pin.
Until the displacement of the front shoe in the rearward direction becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the front check block remains in a state where the front check block is pressed down by an engagement pin of the front shoe. Therefore, in this case, a displacement of the front check block in an upward direction is restricted. Accordingly, the functional bracket is allowed to be rotatable only about the guide pin provided thereat (i.e. a tilt-up mode).
On the other hand, in a case where the displacement of the front shoe in the rearward direction becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the restriction on the front check block by means of the engagement pin is released and the engagement pin engages with an engagement groove of the front check block, so that the front check block and the front shoe are connected as a unit. Accordingly, the functional bracket is allowed to be movable in the rearward direction in response to the displacement of the front shoe in the rearward direction (i.e. a slide mode).
However, a configuration of the sun roof apparatus disclosed in JP2005-162063A is complicated. Furthermore, while the movable panel is in the fully-closed state, the functional bracket is restricted so as not to be displaced in the up-and-down direction (i.e. in a vertical direction) by the guide pin provided at the front end portion of the functional bracket and the engagement pin of the front shoe connected to the functional bracket (i.e. at two points). However, in this case, because slight clearances are formed between the guide groove and the guide pin, and between the engagement pin and the front check block, and because a distance between the guide pin and the engagement pin is relatively short, a backlash of the entire functional bracket in the vertical direction may not be sufficiently controlled.
A need thus exists for a roof apparatus which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.